The First Ten Focus Group Feedback for 30th Century: Escape (First Edition)
Because 30th Century: Escape (First Edition) was Book of the Day, some of our most trusted members have carefully looked over the cover, the description, and other aspects of this book as a part of purchase-intent focus group. We then asked each participant in the focus group if they planned to buy and read the book, and why they planned to buy and read the book or not. Their answer to that question and reasons are displayed below. We call this awesome feature The First Ten Focus Group.
Keep in mind, the responses from the members are not reviews. This is purchase-intent focus group which means the participants are people who have NOT yet bought or read your book. A purchase-intent focus group is an important and extremely useful marketing tool for any product, not just books. For other products, you might walk on the street and show people an item in a package and poll them about whether they would buy if or $X or not. These kind of focus groups are one of the ways big marketing companies find the ideal price points for products and test the effectiveness of different packaging. The focus group can help you identify your market so you how to target ads of your book, and it can (but may not) provide you new useful info about your "packaging" (e.g. your book cover, your book synopsis on Amazon, etc.). The point of the focus group comments is to give you information from people who have not bought or read your book about why they plan to buy your book which will help you in marketing the book. These are not reviews or critiques of your book because they are not from people have read the book. This is a marketing tool, not reviews. The trick of book marketing and book advertising is that you have to convince people who have not read your book yet that your book is worth buying and reading. For marketing, it doesn't matter much if people love your book after reading it if you cannot convince potential buyers before they read it that they will love it.
IMPORTANT: Any score over 10% is considered very good. And any score above 0% is acceptable. This is because we only poll about 20 or so readers, and all readers have to say "no" to almost all books. Over a million books are published each year. Even a very active reader cannot come close to even reading 1% of books out there.
This is also why publishing books is such a tough industry.
briellejee
Based on the cover and title, I think I would have sampled the book. The two aspects are both eye-catching and appealing, though after reading the first few pages, I think the woman silhouette can be changed into one who is just standing and not running. As for the first few pages, I think the plot is great and that Captain Jennifer is a superb character. I commend the author's writing style. You can actually hear the strong and commanding voice of Jennifer. The author also leaves traces of the plot and the setting in a nice way wherein the reader will not be overwhelmed by the information but will be gradually introduced, thus, it heightens the curiosity as well. It will make the reader want more and may not realize he or she is already flipping the pages. I am going to buy the book today because this kind of science fiction is just too good to miss. I found no noticeable errors and the OBC review is helpful enough to tell me it is something worth reading and sampling for.
First Ten review added on November 21, 2018, at 2:43 am by briellejee.
Allyseria
The title and book cover look attractive and I would have read the blurb. However, when I read the blurb, I was disappointed that it seemed to focus more on the romance plot instead of time travelling. I was also hesistant when I read the review and found out that many French phrases were used. I find foreign languages distracting for me. The sample was good though, and I liked that it immediately started with the mission at hand: time travelling. However, I would have liked to know a little bit more about Jennifer before seeing her in the leadership role. From her ability to command others, it seems as if she is in a high position, but because of the lack of backstory, I couldn't feel much empathy for her. Overall, I will not continue to read the book because I do not like the romance genre. Note: The book had been professionally edited.
First Ten review added on November 20, 2018, at 8:13 am by Allyseria.
Sharill Rasowo
If I had not read the sample, I probably would not have read the book. This is because I am not really interested in sci-fi fantasy. The official OnlineBookClub review was complimentary but did not really change my mind. Reading the sample, the beginning was full of tension with Jennifer, the main character, giving instructions to her second-in-command. I also found it funny that the unit was named SS as it reminded me of Nazi Germany. The sample was entertaining but not enough for me to buy and read the book. I did not spot any typos so I think it was professionally edited.
First Ten review added on November 20, 2018, at 7:52 am by Sharill Rasowo.
ObsessedBookNerd
Had I not read the sample as part of the program then I would have read the book based on the title, cover, genre, blurb or reviews. I love to read a good fantasy/ sci-fi book. The cover is also very beautifully designed that it draws the reader into giving the book a chance. The book seems professionally edited and I found no spelling or grammatical errors. The sample did not change my mind on reading the whole book because I am curious how the main character will deal with having a new identity and the secrets that she holds. I love reading time travel novels, especially when the character goes back in time. I also like the layout of the book. The author put a map of the French Polynesia Islands at the beginning of chapter 1, this helped me to visualize/understand the chapter better. The picture of the trans-time one below the surface of the ocean also made it easier to understand the chapter. I felt that Jennifer is a realistic character even though she is from the future. She wants to escape her pain and finally be over her responsibilities of saving the Naturals(humans). She makes sure the mission to change the future is all set up before she leaves it in her allies hands. She then sets her time travel farther back into the past to start fresh in a new life. I thought it was humorous how she panicked in the ocean and thought a shark was after her when it was just a dolphin. Marty makes me hope that he will be a love interest to Jennifer, especially since they are both emotionally damaged due to past relationships. The book seems to have everything I like to read; time-travel, adventure, new beginnings, futuristic scenes, advanced technology, love, heroism and much more. I can't wait to read the whole book.
First Ten review added on November 20, 2018, at 5:04 am by ObsessedBookNerd.
Sonya Nicolaidis
I was not sure what to expect on first sight of this book The cover design is really beautiful depicting a woman running, with gorgeous background colors. I knew it was a work of Science Fiction from the title and also from the reviews, which admittedly were all fairly complimentary. I, however, not being a fan of this genre would not have ordinarily been interested to read it. After sampling the book, I still do not feel moved to keep reading. Admittedly, I did like the way it was written, with no noticeable errors in the editing or grammar. However the story begins sometime in the future and is very heavy on the futuristic jargon which usually accompanies such stories. I was lost, and couldn't quite get into it thereafter. I do suspect that the story does become deeper and more interesting as it progresses, but the first few pages just didn't grab me. If I were to change anything, I would suggest easing off on the jargon so early on, and perhaps giving a little more background. This might engage readers a bit more. There was criticism in some of the reviews of explicit sexual content, but I saw no evidence of this in the first ten. I'm sure this book will be enjoyed by fans of Sci Fi, but I would not be interested in reading this one.
First Ten review added on November 20, 2018, at 2:24 am by Sonya Nicolaidis.
JuliaKay
I do like the cover for this book. The colors are nice, and it is eye-catching. The title also grabbed my attention and made me curious. The blurb and reviews for this book were good, but I did read this book before, and my response wasn't so positive. Normally, I enjoy sci-fi books, but I could not get into this one, and the further I read, the worse it got. I think part the problem was the pictures throughout the book. I don't really like to see pictures in novels. Captain Jennifer Hero lives in the future and is part of the Secret Society team. The way of life was in danger, and something needed to be done soon. The team had a mission organized to travel to the twenty-seventh century, and they would not be returning to their own time. The Syndos are a group in the thirtieth century with enhanced DNA. They can outperform the average human being in every way except creativity. They lack a moral compass, however, and they look down on regular human beings. The Syndos aim to wipe out the Naturals, or regular human beings. Jennifer's team is to go back in time and correct the genetic error that is present in the Syndos. Jennifer misleads her team and says she has to stay back and input the time travel date manually, and they believe she would have been killed by a missile. But it turns out, she was running away. She had actually reset the device to travel back to 2015 herself. The first ten pages don't say too much about why she made this decision, but she does end up in 2015 on an island by herself. Eventually, a group of people finds her, including Marty Zitonick. I think part of my problem with this book was that some of the information didn't seem entirely relevant, and I just got bored. I also didn't think Jennifer was really likable. I did not notice any technical errors in the first ten pages, and it does appear that this book has been professionally edited. I think the removal of the pictures (except for the maps) would help my opinion about the book.
First Ten review added on November 19, 2018, at 7:33 pm by JuliaKay.
Kareka88
I like the cover and think I would have at least looked at it to see if I wanted to read it. I did read an informative review on OnlineBookClub as well as the summary on Amazon that was very glowing. Even though this book won an award for best Sci-Fi book of 2017, I will not continue reading it. It is my understanding it contains graphic depictions of multiple partner sex scenes and I'm not interested in reading that style of a book. Also, I read the first ten pages or so and the storyline did not capture my interest. Jennifer and her crew are looking for a way to annihilate the Syndos by going back in time and planting a virus that will disrupt their genetic code. When trying to go back in time, however, her vessel is knocked off course, but she doesn't understand what happened. The crew of the Albatross saves her, but I'm not so sure that in reality she really is saved. I think the photos are a unique idea and do seem to help with the storyline. I saw no grammatical errors in the sample I read.
First Ten review added on November 19, 2018, at 4:34 pm by Kareka88.
HRichards
I generally would not have picked up this book on my own, as the description really didn't interest me. I will not be continuing with the book as I didn't find the sample that interesting or well written. The sample deals with SS officer Jennifer who is trying to prevent a widespread chemical attack against the humans in Australia in the near future. Those who are interested in sci-fi thrillers might like this book, as the action is very fast paced. I wasn't too wild about the writing style, which was a bit choppy. There was a grammar error that I noticed with the sentence "...seized with misgivings. But..." that should be a comma instead of a period. I have not read any other reviews of this book.
First Ten review added on November 19, 2018, at 4:01 pm by HRichards.
Laura Ungureanu
"Escape" is a science fiction book about time travel to the 21st century. In the future, humans learns to control dark energy. Captain Jennifer Hero is escaping the 30th century in order to save humankind from Syndos. She goes to the 21st century and lands in the desert. I don't really like books with time travel, so I wouldn't have tried this book without the program. I won't continue reading this book because of the same reason. It seemes professionally edited.
First Ten review added on November 19, 2018, at 2:43 pm by Laura Ungureanu.
sarahmarlowe randomeducator
I'm going to start this one a little backward. Sorry. I was interested in this book originally because I like science fiction stories. Additionally, I like to read books about time travel and books with strong female lead characters. But, then I read an OBC review and discovered that there is a lot of explicit sexual material in this one. Then, I read some more reviews to see if that reviewer was just touchy. Nope. I found that information in several reviews, so I will not be reading this one. I did enjoy the fast-paced plot and the intrigue, and I would still like to know why Jennifer ran away to the 21st century. I also liked the illustrations. I am a visual person, and it was fascinating to look at the cutaways of the equipment. The book looks professionally edited, which is another great aspect of the novel. However, again, I will not be reading this one. I'm a little disappointed.
First Ten review added on November 19, 2018, at 10:43 am by sarahmarlowe randomeducator.
Camille Turner
I think I would have sampled this book even without the program because I like science fiction, and the Amazon blurb says it also includes time travel which sounds interesting. The cover and title are pretty clear in terms of genre as well. After reading the first ten pages, I believe the book to be professionally edited as I didn't note any errors. My impression has stayed the same, as the book begins with many references that fall into the science fiction realm (technology, futuristic races, time travel, etc.). I like that the novel begins immediately with getting the characters to the time travel machine and setting up the story. We know right off the bat about the Syndos plan to make the Naturals extinct through sterilization and the Naturals plan to go back in time to stop their genetics from giving the Syndos a lack of morality. I wouldn't improve anything. However, I won't buy the book today because I have too many others to read first, and while this book does seem interesting, I don't feel I need to read it right away. I'll keep it in mind for the future.
First Ten review added on November 19, 2018, at 8:40 am by Camille Turner.
This book appears to have been Book of the Day more than once. Only responses from the most recent Book of the Day focus group are shown. Older responses have been hidden by default to avoid confusion. If you would like to also view the older first ten responses, you can unhide them by clicking the button below.
Total ~ 18%
30th Century: Escape (First Edition) earned a score of 18%.
In other words, out of the top-level reviewers who read at least the first 10 pages of this book, 18% plan to read the whole book.
IMPORTANT: Any score over 10% is considered very good. And any score above 0% is acceptable.
Over a million books are published each year. Any given person could not even read .0001% of the books out there. This means readers have to be very selective. Even taking the time to look over reviews and blurbs, let alone read samples, is more time than most readers can afford for most books. The First Ten is a powerful focus group that addresses those issues. It creates a helpful tool for authors, publishers, and other readers.
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